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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘hopeful' on Springfield transit deal before CTA fiscal cliff
As the dust settles on Springfield lawmakers punting the issue of CTA's looming fiscal cliff, Mayor Brandon Johnson has a message: keep the faith. The mayor in his weekly City Hall news conference Tuesday reacted to the local alarm over the Illinois General Assembly adjourning this weekend without a solution to the estimated $771 million budget gap for Chicago area transit agencies with a measured, though at times defensive, tone. He again argued the 'resources are there' to bail out the CTA while acknowledging time is running out for state legislators to act. 'I'm going to always remain hopeful and confident that we can get a deal done that works for the people of Chicago,' the mayor told reporters. Illinois lawmakers concluded their spring session on Sunday after passing a $55 billion budget for the next fiscal year but without shoring up much-needed revenue for the transit budget gap. Though state legislators still have time to work out a solution before that shortfall comes home to roost next year, transit advocates expressed disappointment at how negotiations fell apart despite years of warnings about the fiscal conundrum. Some pointed the finger at the mayor. North Side Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, rattled off a long list of what he said were transit-related missteps for which Johnson wears the hat. Vasquez noted the mayor resisted earlier calls to fire ex-CTA president Dorval Carter, has yet to pick Carter's replacement and has made controversial pastor appointments to the local transit board. 'All those things lead to less and less confidence, and it all speaks to the leadership that was there at the time, which was Dorval and was Johnson,' Vasquez said. '(That) actually makes it harder to have the conversation about funding, which is why it became such a governance conversation.' Johnson on Tuesday dismissed the idea that his leadership choices hampered the CTA's cause in Springfield. 'It's a poor analysis,' the mayor said. Frustrated with the surfeit of CTA service complaints over the last few years, Springfield leaders heading the transit bill discussions this spring session adopted a 'no funding without reform' message. Led by Illinois Senate transportation committee chair Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat, the refrain reflected how state lawmakers were hard-pressed to bail out the transit agency with Carter still in charge and were mulling whether to reduce the mayor's influence over local transit governance structure. Johnson in January likened that attitude to holding Chicago 'hostage,' though Carter would announce his retirement later that month. The mayor has said his office undertook a national search for Carter's permanent successor, but it's not clear exactly what that search entailed and it appears to have fallen short. Johnson's chief operating officer John Roberson was floated this spring, but the potential appointment was met with pushback from local transit advocates who demanded a more open search process. Three members of the CTA board said last month they also supported a more thorough search, signaling potential further opposition to Johnson's plans. The mayor reiterated Tuesday that he has not yet picked the next CTA president and did not answer a question on whether he will make that decision before Springfield finalizes its transit package. State rep. Kam Buckner, one of the budget negotiators in the Illinois House, was more measured in his feedback, which hinged on the belief that Johnson didn't fully utilize the bully pulpit of the mayor's office to call attention to the urgency for CTA riders. 'I'm not sure why it wasn't as important to the (Johnson) administration, but the good thing about where we are right now is there's a chance to reset,' Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, said. 'Chicago has to decide whether or not they're going to let transit reform happen with them or happen to them. … I do want the mayor's office to be more present in these conversations.' Johnson did not betray a position on the specifics of the delivery tax or the governance changes in the transit proposal that fell apart in the House this weekend. He instead focused on saying the state needs to tax the 'ultra-rich.' 'I don't think anybody will speculate over my belief of where the revenue should come from,' the mayor said when asked if he needs to show a more visible presence in Springfield when it comes to revenue talks. To be clear, in the often-evolving, last-minute nature of Springfield dealmaking, lawmakers are certainly used to running up against the clock. And the COVID-19 stimulus funds that kept these Chicago area agencies afloat don't expire until the end of this year. Still, the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, has warned of a 40% reduction in transit service, with some rail lines and bus routes eliminated entirely, should the agencies indeed tumble over the edge of the fiscal cliff. Any legislation passed after May 31 that would take effect before June 2026 would also need a three-fifths majority in both chambers, too. Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday that his office was not leading the charge of transit reforms and funding solutions but he thinks there needs to be significant work in the summer and fall to get them passed. He also took a jab at the RTA for a $750,000 advertising effort to implore lawmakers to set more money aside for mass transit. 'I also would say that they'd have more money in their coffers if they hadn't spent money advertising here in Springfield to try to convince people of something that they really should be leaving to the legislators to decide,' the governor said during a news conference at the State Capitol. In a Tuesday statement, RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith referenced her comments last month that the goal of the campaign was to raise awareness and 'motivate people to contact their legislators about the positive impact transit has on their lives and communities, and why it needs to be sustainably funded.' 'Taking this from the eleventh hour to what's going to feel like 11:45 p.m. is frustrating,' Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, said. 'It makes me really anxious, how close to the cliff it seems like we're going to take this … I hope that (Johnson) recognizes how mission-critical this is to the health in the city.' The Senate this weekend narrowly approved Villivalam's proposal to both overhaul governance and increase funding for Chicago-area mass transit. The plan included a $1.50 fee on retail deliveries including food, which replaced an earlier proposal to increase tolls on Chicago-area toll roads. But the House adjourned without taking up the measure, amid swift opposition from business groups. Villivalam didn't betray any regret on Monday, however. 'From the beginning, we have said there will be no funding without reform,' he wrote in a statement that vowed to 'get this package of reforms and funding across the finish line.' Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch told reporters Tuesday that beyond his caucus' trepidation over the taxes piece, 'there's still some disagreement on what … that governance board would look like.' 'We said from day one throughout the entire process that we wanted to make sure reform came before funding,' Welch said. 'We cannot ask taxpayers to put money into a failing system.' Vasquez, also vice chair of City Council Transportation Committee, said he plans to drive home the high stakes during the next quarterly CTA leadership hearing at the end of this month. But he wasn't fully convinced the mayor should have taken a more visible role in lobbying state lawmakers on transit. 'I don't know, and it's actually pretty unfortunate that we don't know, if it would have had a worse effect,' Vasquez said. The Tribune's Talia Soglin contributed reporting.
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘hopeful' on Springfield transit deal before CTA fiscal cliff
As the dust settles on Springfield lawmakers punting the issue of CTA's looming fiscal cliff, Mayor Brandon Johnson has a message: keep the faith. The mayor in his weekly City Hall news conference Tuesday reacted to the local alarm over the Illinois General Assembly adjourning this weekend without a solution to the estimated $771 million budget gap for Chicago area transit agencies with a measured, though at times defensive, tone. He again argued the 'resources are there' to bail out the CTA while acknowledging time is running out for state legislators to act. 'I'm going to always remain hopeful and confident that we can get a deal done that works for the people of Chicago,' the mayor told reporters. Illinois lawmakers concluded their spring session on Sunday after passing a $55 billion budget for the next fiscal year but without shoring up much-needed revenue for the transit budget gap. Though state legislators still have time to work out a solution before that shortfall comes home to roost next year, transit advocates expressed disappointment at how negotiations fell apart despite years of warnings about the fiscal conundrum. Some pointed the finger at the mayor. North Side Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, rattled off a long list of what he said were transit-related missteps for which Johnson wears the hat. Vasquez noted the mayor resisted earlier calls to fire ex-CTA president Dorval Carter, has yet to pick Carter's replacement and has made controversial pastor appointments to the local transit board. 'All those things lead to less and less confidence, and it all speaks to the leadership that was there at the time, which was Dorval and was Johnson,' Vasquez said. '(That) actually makes it harder to have the conversation about funding, which is why it became such a governance conversation.' Johnson on Tuesday dismissed the idea that his leadership choices hampered the CTA's cause in Springfield. 'It's a poor analysis,' the mayor said. Frustrated with the surfeit of CTA service complaints over the last few years, Springfield leaders heading the transit bill discussions this spring session adopted a 'no funding without reform' message. Led by Illinois Senate transportation committee chair Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat, the refrain reflected how state lawmakers were hard-pressed to bail out the transit agency with Carter still in charge and were mulling whether to reduce the mayor's influence over local transit governance structure. Johnson in January likened that attitude to holding Chicago 'hostage,' though Carter would announce his retirement later that month. The mayor has said his office undertook a national search for Carter's permanent successor, but it's not clear exactly what that search entailed and it appears to have fallen short. Johnson's chief operating officer John Roberson was floated this spring, but the potential appointment was met with pushback from local transit advocates who demanded a more open search process. Three members of the CTA board said last month they also supported a more thorough search, signaling potential further opposition to Johnson's plans. The mayor reiterated Tuesday that he has not yet picked the next CTA president and did not answer a question on whether he will make that decision before Springfield finalizes its transit package. State rep. Kam Buckner, one of the budget negotiators in the Illinois House, was more measured in his feedback, which hinged on the belief that Johnson didn't fully utilize the bully pulpit of the mayor's office to call attention to the urgency for CTA riders. 'I'm not sure why it wasn't as important to the (Johnson) administration, but the good thing about where we are right now is there's a chance to reset,' Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, said. 'Chicago has to decide whether or not they're going to let transit reform happen with them or happen to them. … I do want the mayor's office to be more present in these conversations.' Johnson did not betray a position on the specifics of the delivery tax or the governance changes in the transit proposal that fell apart in the House this weekend. He instead focused on saying the state needs to tax the 'ultra-rich.' 'I don't think anybody will speculate over my belief of where the revenue should come from,' the mayor said when asked if he needs to show a more visible presence in Springfield when it comes to revenue talks. To be clear, in the often-evolving, last-minute nature of Springfield dealmaking, lawmakers are certainly used to running up against the clock. And the COVID-19 stimulus funds that kept these Chicago area agencies afloat don't expire until the end of this year. Still, the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, has warned of a 40% reduction in transit service, with some rail lines and bus routes eliminated entirely, should the agencies indeed tumble over the edge of the fiscal cliff. Any legislation passed after May 31 that would take effect before June 2026 would also need a three-fifths majority in both chambers, too. Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday that his office was not leading the charge of transit reforms and funding solutions but he thinks there needs to be significant work in the summer and fall to get them passed. He also took a jab at the RTA for a $750,000 advertising effort to implore lawmakers to set more money aside for mass transit. 'I also would say that they'd have more money in their coffers if they hadn't spent money advertising here in Springfield to try to convince people of something that they really should be leaving to the legislators to decide,' the governor said during a news conference at the State Capitol. In a Tuesday statement, RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith referenced her comments last month that the goal of the campaign was to raise awareness and 'motivate people to contact their legislators about the positive impact transit has on their lives and communities, and why it needs to be sustainably funded.' 'Taking this from the eleventh hour to what's going to feel like 11:45 p.m. is frustrating,' Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, said. 'It makes me really anxious, how close to the cliff it seems like we're going to take this … I hope that (Johnson) recognizes how mission-critical this is to the health in the city.' The Senate this weekend narrowly approved Villivalam's proposal to both overhaul governance and increase funding for Chicago-area mass transit. The plan included a $1.50 fee on retail deliveries including food, which replaced an earlier proposal to increase tolls on Chicago-area toll roads. But the House adjourned without taking up the measure, amid swift opposition from business groups. Villivalam didn't betray any regret on Monday, however. 'From the beginning, we have said there will be no funding without reform,' he wrote in a statement that vowed to 'get this package of reforms and funding across the finish line.' Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch told reporters Tuesday that beyond his caucus' trepidation over the taxes piece, 'there's still some disagreement on what … that governance board would look like.' 'We said from day one throughout the entire process that we wanted to make sure reform came before funding,' Welch said. 'We cannot ask taxpayers to put money into a failing system.' Vasquez, also vice chair of City Council Transportation Committee, said he plans to drive home the high stakes during the next quarterly CTA leadership hearing at the end of this month. But he wasn't fully convinced the mayor should have taken a more visible role in lobbying state lawmakers on transit. 'I don't know, and it's actually pretty unfortunate that we don't know, if it would have had a worse effect,' Vasquez said.
Axios
2 days ago
- Health
- Axios
Illinois passes budget, but leaves some legislation unfinished
In addition to passing a $55 billion state budget, the Illinois General Assembly passed and punted on various legislation during the session that wrapped Saturday. The big picture: The budget headed to Gov. Pritzker's desk has so-called "sin tax" increases. Pritzker used his budget press conference to take aim at President Trump for slashing federal funding, affecting Illinois and other states. Zoom out: Questions remain on how Chicago-area transit is going to move forward without the funding needed to avoid service cuts and layoffs, but lawmakers will likely work over the summer. Here are some other high-profile bills that did and didn't make it to Pritzker's desk. Medical aid and dying law Catch up quick: Democratic State Sen. Linda Holmes told Axios she pushed for this legislation after watching her mother die of cancer. The bill authorized a qualified patient with a terminal disease to request that a physician prescribe aid-in-dying medication that will allow the patient to die peacefully. The other side: Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich voiced opposition to the legislation after the bill passed the House, saying the end-of-life medical assistance was against Catholic beliefs. "There is a way to both honor the dignity of human life and provide compassionate care to those experiencing life-ending illness," Cupich said. State of play: The bill passed the House but didn't pass the Senate before Saturday's deadline. Home schooling Context: The bill required parents and guardians who choose to homeschool to notify the school district and set requirements for reporting the progress of home-schooled students. The chief sponsor also maintained that it would save kids who slip through the cracks, who would otherwise have a school support system looking out for their well-being. State of play: Several active members of the homeschool movement rallied in Springfield, calling on lawmakers to kill the legislation, saying it created too much regulation and blamed a "failing" public school system. The Homeschool Act did not get a vote in either chamber. What they're saying: " We haven't given up on fighting for every Illinois homeschooled kid, and we're hopeful the bill will make it across the finish line when the next session starts," The Coalition for Responsible Home Education said in a statement. What we're watching: In other education news, a bill that would have banned cell phones during instructional time didn't make it to the floor for a vote. A bill to allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees made it to assignments but was never called. AI as therapy The big picture: As experts warn about AI taking jobs, mental health professionals in Illinois can rest assured that their jobs are safe for the near future. State of play: Legislation declaring that only licensed therapists, aka humans, can provide psychotherapy services in Illinois passed the legislature. Between the lines: No lawmaker in either the House or Senate voted against in the bill. What we're watching: The House passed legislation that would increase reimbursement rates for mental health care providers and make care more affordable for patients, but it didn't make it to a full Senate vote. Reproductive health The big picture: Pritzker and the Democrat majority legislature have been instrumental in protecting access to reproductive health care in the state, and that continued with two pieces of legislation that passed. One will require all public colleges and universities to ensure students have access to contraception and abortion medication, and the other protects providers who prescribe abortion medication, even if the FDA revokes it.
Politico
2 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Pritzker's budget blame game: Trump
Presented by Happy June, Illinois. And congrats to the state legislators who powered through the weekend. TOP TALKER BUDGET BLUES: Gov. JB Pritzker praised state lawmakers Sunday morning for passing a balanced state budget and blamed a 'Trump Slump' for Illinois seeing $500 million in reduced revenues. 'Donald Trump's incomprehensible tariff policies have put a tax on our working families and dampened the nation's economic outlook, the Trump Slump is affecting every state, and the chaos and uncertainty of the Republicans proposed cuts to health care and education and jobs have made budgeting well harder than ever before,' Pritzker told reporters in a press briefing alongside Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and state Senate President Don Harmon. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch had a family commitment. Pritzker said the 'chaos' in D.C. is affecting other states, too. He pointed to Iowa and Indiana that once 'were bragging about their fiscal condition while laughing at ours. My, how times have changed.' We noted that last weel. The governor touted Illinois having nine credit upgrades and seven balanced budgets while 'Indiana's 10 percent budget deficit and Iowa's 5 percent budget deficit caused them to cut public health and higher education and dip into their rainy day fund.' It's sinful: In the end, the Democratic-led Illinois General Assembly approved a $55.2 billion spending plan and a $55.3 billion revenue package for the next fiscal year that also included a good share of sin taxes from online sports betting, to tobacco products, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes. There's a lot that didn't get done: The transit bill to prevent a 'financial cliff' in the transportation industry failed to pass — there's talk now of returning to Springfield to address the problem. An energy bill that would protect the state's power grid didn't pass. And an omnibus bill to improve elections didn't pass. And a proposal to overhaul the state's Tier 2 pension system (which affects public employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2011) didn't make it over the finish line, either (though lawmakers did approve $75 million for a reserve fund for the program). Funding that was approved: $500 million for economic development and investment in site readiness grants to local governments for economic development; $200 million for early childhood workforce compensation grants and a $175 million increase for the Child Care Assistance Program to support 150,000 children. Here's a budget breakdown from the governor's office. By the numbers: 'They passed 432 bills during their five-month spring session, though perhaps none more important than the state's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The nearly 3,400-page spending plan and other budget-related bills passed just minutes before midnight on Saturday — roughly 30 hours after the measure was introduced,' reports Brenden Moore in The Pantagraph. There was some careful praise about getting over the finish line: Jack Lavin, head of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said his organization is 'pleased' that lawmakers passed an economic development package, 'which included incentives for manufacturers, capital investment programs and business recruitment.' Republicans could only roll their eyes: State Sen. Terri Bryant echoed her GOP colleagues, calling the budget 'irresponsible, unsustainable and wrong for Illinois.' Republicans also criticized Democrats for 'ramming' the budget through in the last hours of the session. RELATED Among bills going to governor's desk: A measure designed to rein in the practices of pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs, law-enforcement background checks and legal help for immigrants, via the Tribune Chicago public transit in limbo after state lawmakers fail to fill nearly $1B budget gap, by the Block Club's Charles Thrush and Manny Ramos Illinois Senate leaves without taking a vote on plan to let terminally ill people end their own lives, by the Sun-Times' George Wiebe Bears' stadium efforts run out of time in Springfield but state Rep. Mary Beth Canty says deal was close and talks will continue, by the Tribune's Olivia Olander It's the latest tough snap for Bears president Kevin Warren, by the Sun-Times' Mitchell Armentrout and George Wiebe For mentally ill people facing low-level charges, lawmakers take steps to get them care, not prosecution, by the Sun-Times' Frank Main and Stephanie Zimmermann Three-point seat belts to be required on new school buses in Illinois, by the Daily Herald's Russell Lissau If you are Don Harmon, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON At Daley Plaza at 9 a.m. for the annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony — At the Southwest Pumping Station for a Chicago Grand Prairie Water Commission water project announcement Where's Toni At Daley Plaza at 9 a.m. for the annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — WHAT's NEXT: Now that the legislative session has wrapped up, watch for the governor to pivot his attention to the upcoming federal hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 12 about Illinois' sanctuary status. After that, Pritzker is expected to announce whether he'll seek a third term, timing it, likely, with the Cook County Democratic Party slating on July 17 and 18. — Endorsement: State Sen. Robert Peters has been endorsed in his bid for Congress in the 2nd District by the Amalgamated Transit Union, which includes Chicago Locals 241 and 308. — Dueling rallies at Huntley's Trump & Truth Store as owner vows to stay open, by the Tribune's Shanzeh Ahmad THE STATEWIDES — Feds say Michael Madigan should get 12½ years in prison: 'Madigan wielded the speaker's gavel in Springfield for 36 years. Now he's bracing to learn his fate June 13, when he's due to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Blakey. The hearing comes four months after a jury convicted Madigan in an historic verdict,' by the Sun-Times' Jon Seidel. — A Madigan elegy: Mac Hoffmann, who was a staff attorney under former Speaker Madigan from 2015 to 2016, is now a singer-songwriter based in Minneapolis. He's out with an acoustic piece about Madigan titled, 'The Fall of the Velvet Hammer.' In a note to Playbook, Hofmann says, 'It's not a takedown. It's a reckoning—a meditation on what it meant to serve a system that no longer made sense. The timing aligns with Madigan's sentencing, but the story behind it has been unfolding for nearly a decade.' Sample lyric: 'The cleanest guy in the Capitol is the janitor mopping the floor.' Listen here. — Springfield's historic Myers Building officially sold, by the State Journal-Register's Claire Grant — Fake IDs now as good as the real thing — and essential to Chicago's college social scene, by the Sun-Times' Mary Norkol TAKING NAMES — HATS OFF: Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller's annual Hats Off to South Suburban Women Luncheon drew a crowd of 300 Sunday at Ravisloe Country Club. Spotted: Congresswoman Robin Kelly, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Ald. Stephanie Coleman, Sauk Village Mayor Marva Campbell-Pruitt, Richton Park Mayor Rick Reinbold, Homewood Village Trustee Vivian Harris-Jones, Homewood Village Clerk Nakina Flores, East Hazel Crest Trustee Maureen Moe Forté, Appellate Judge Sharon Johnson, Rich Township Clerk Sugar Al-Amin, Matteson Trustee Carolyn Palmer, Calumet City Ald. Monet Forte Wilson, District Police Commander Karla Johnson and school Superintendent Blondean Davis. — Dulana Reese-Campbell has been elected board president of the Young Democrats of Chicago. Reese-Campbell is chief of staff to state Rep. Kam Buckner. Other officers: Jackie Duarte, Lindy Girman, Tyler Harding, Taylor Coward, Evelyn Wilder, Arthur Dennis, George Haines and Brian Frederick. Reader Digest We asked about impactful protest movements. Michael Churchill: 'Vietnam War protests.' Michael Burton: 'The eight-hour day movement, centered in Chicago in the 1880s, gave us the weekend by reducing the typical workweek from six days and 70+ hours to our current 40-hour work week.' Ted Cox: 'Occupy Wall Street, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. They may not have the momentum right now, but they're not done by any means.' Sean Duffy: 'The 1917 February Revolution in Russia forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate his throne and ended 300 years of rule by the Romanov dynasty.' Robert Fioretti: ' April 15, 1970, when an anti-war moratorium demonstration on tax day was held at Daley Plaza. More than 40,000 attended, and many there are still protesting today.' Daniel Goldwin: 'Free Soviet Jewry protest movement.' Charles Keller: 'On Oct. 31, 1517, Luther sent a letter with the 95 Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.' Jim Lyons: 'The anti-war movement at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.' James Scalzitti: 'ACT-UP.' Emily Spangler: 'The Stonewall Movement. Stonewall is one of many reasons we LGBT people are recognized and protected in society.' NEXT QUESTION: What's a national holiday you'd like to see created? KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION — China happy with restrictions on its students, Krishnamoorthi says: 'They want these people back,' said U.S. Senate candidate and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on 'Face the Nation.' 'They want the scientists and the entrepreneurs and the engineers who can come and help their economy. And so we are probably helping them, as well as other countries, more than helping ourselves with this policy.' THE NATIONAL TAKE — The 'Medicaid moderates' are the senators to watch on the megabill, by POLITICO's Jordain Carney — Liz Magill, the first casualty in the war against elite universities, by POLITICO's Evan Mandery — DHS removes list of 'sanctuary' cities after sheriffs push back on non-compliant label, by Reuters' Ted Hesson — Chris Christie says Trump is giving free rein to white-collar criminals, by POLITICO's David Cohen — 'Completely unworkable': Sculpture experts say Trump's $34M statue garden has major problems, by POLITICO's Michael Schaffer TRANSITIONS — Jim Webb has started J Webb Strategies, a communications and crisis management business. He was director of operations at Serafin & Associates before it merged last year with Mercury Public Affairs. Webb also previously had a long career as a journalist for The Associated Press and was political editor at the Chicago Tribune. — Channyn Lynne Parker becomes interim CEO of Equality Illinois starting July 1. An Equality Illinois board member, Parker will serve in the post part-time while continuing in her full-time position as CEO of Brave Space Alliance, which serves LGBTQ+ individuals. Earlier this year, Brian Johnson announced he's stepping down as Equality Illinois CEO on June 30, via Windy City Times' Jake Wittich. — Alison Pure-Slovin has been named director of social action and partnerships for Simon Wiesenthal Center's Midwest office. She has been head of the organization's Midwest office since 2012. IN MEMORIAM — Richard Garwin, Chicago physicist who created the hydrogen bomb and worked to see it wasn't used, dead at 97, by the Sun-Times' Mitch Dudek EVENTS — Tuesday: State Rep. Kam Buckner is holding his Buckner Blues Bash. Details here — Saturday and Sunday: The Fort de Chartres Rendezvous, an annual tradition in Randolph County, takes place at the Fort de Chartres State Historic Site. Details here TRIVIA FRIDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Ron Silver for correctly answering that Chicago's Monadnock Building is the tallest load-bearing brick building ever constructed. TODAY's QUESTION: Which boxing champion lost to Muhammad Ali and later ran for Chicago alderman? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, business consultant Sonya Jackson, attorney Pejman Yousefzadeh, Kieloch Consulting Congressional Services Director Hannah Botelho, labor insider and lobbyist Alison Howlett, Tribune columnist Clarence Page, comms adviser Lauren Pulte and Dave Neal, legal chief for the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, who turns 70 -30-
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Bears' stadium efforts run out of time in Springfield but suburban lawmaker says deal was close and talks will continue
SPRINGFIELD — While the Illinois General Assembly didn't end up passing legislation this session that helped or hurt the Chicago Bears' stadium efforts, one suburban lawmaker said the legislature got close to a deal on property tax legislation — a measure widely seen as a way to ease a team move to Arlington Heights. 'We were super close and just ran out of time,' state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, a Democrat who represents the northwest suburb and surrounding areas, said Sunday. The team in mid-May announced it was shifting its focus away from building a new lakefront stadium in Chicago to Arlington Heights, where it purchased the former Arlington International Racecourse property two years ago. Though the spring legislative session ended as the calendar turned to June on Saturday night, legislators will likely get another chance to pass legislation in the fall. Still, state Rep. Kam Buckner pushed back on the idea that any agreement was close, as no deal was ever actually introduced in the legislature. 'The Bears have made it clear — they no longer want to be in Chicago. That's their decision,' Buckner, a Chicago Democrat whose district includes Soldier Field, said in a text message Sunday. 'But if they want to leave and use state dollars or ask for special tax protections to do it, they'll have to come through Springfield. And in Springfield, that means facing the Chicago delegation directly.' Lawmakers this session introduced multiple bills proposing changes to state laws that would better enable so-called megaprojects, like a new Bears stadium, to be built. But compromise language that received some support was never introduced, Canty acknowledged. The potential changes would give local control to taxing districts statewide, and not simply be a boost to the Bears' prospects of moving to a specific suburb, she said. 'We're going to keep working all through the summer. I don't like to jinx anything and I also don't like to predict what — where everybody will be' by the fall veto session, Canty said, referring to the next time lawmakers are expected to consider bills. A Bears spokesperson on Sunday reiterated the team's statement that it has made progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights. The dream of a new domed stadium in Chicago has faced enormous headwinds in Springfield since the Bears unveiled a proposal last year asking the state to take on $900 million in new debt and spend $1.5 billion on infrastructure improvements. The franchise likely has a smoother path to move to Arlington Heights, but one of the holdups there was a dispute with the village and local school districts over property taxes. Language discussed behind closed doors in the waning days of session would have allowed 'a weighted vote' of all local taxing bodies to set a property tax payment amount for development projects, while also implementing guardrails from the state on issues like the length of time the agreements could last, Canty said. Gov. JB Pritzker has made clear that while he personally would like to see the Bears stay in Chicago, he is skeptical of providing taxpayer funds to help a private business build a new stadium. Buckner said members of the Chicago delegation in both the House and Senate were 'all very vigilant in the last days of session, expecting the Bears to try to sneak language through the legislature.' 'I don't care how many other lawmakers they talk to — there will be no chicanery, no shortcuts, and no sidestepping the people of Chicago,' he wrote. Asked on Sunday about the prospects for legislation benefiting the Bears, Pritzker said he generally supported options like STAR bonds, a mechanism for local governments to finance big projects, though he emphasized that idea was not specific to the Bears. The discussion on STAR bonds was separate from the megaprojects proposal discussed in the final days of session, Canty said.
